Like the sea dances with the shore
by deanpala
Summary: Jekyll is a marine biologist and Lanyon is a Selkie


Jekyll was studying to become a marine biologist, and had somehow managed to convince the college to let him live off campus in a little house by the sea (though granted, a house by the sea wasn't hard to find in London but whatever). He was in the middle of observing some microbes when he heard a loud bark of pain.

He ran outside immediately and found a poor seal washed up that seemed to have been attacked by a shark.

He tried to get close and help, but it started growling at him.

"Hey, easy now, I just want to help. I'm not going to hurt you."

If he didn't know better he would have said the seal gave him a doubtful look, but it stopped growling and let him near with some amount of tredopition.

Jekyll did his best to carry/drag the little guy into his home without getting any injured spots touched and set down to week on the poor thing as he rambled to it. He didn't know if it helped any but he knew it was worth a shot.

He was very shocked however to see a injured, naked man on his floor the next morning with nothing but a seal skin over him.

"What the fuck?"

The man was apparently not asleep as he sat up and scrunched his face in confusion and asked "what's a 'fuck'?"

"Who are you and what are you doing in my home?"

"You haven't answered my question." The random man seemed annoyed. "I am Robert Lanyon .As for how I got here, I let you drag me here on your insistence, despite my better judgement I might add. Thank you for the assistance, I'll be going now; don't want to be around here any more than necessary." He attempted to get up only to let out a sound of pain and collapse.

"Are you ok? You can stay longer if you need to."

"It looks like I may be forced to." He looked rather disguised at the thought.

"Pardon my prying." Henry said "but you- aren't human are you? You're the seal from last night?"

"Not that it's any of your business but yes. Now if you could finish patching me up that'd be great."

This was an unparalleled scientific opportunity, and Henry was bursting with questions, but he knew he shouldn't ask them until Lanyon at least had the option to leave if he wanted.

"I'm afraid I've done all I can for now. All we can do is have you rest up and give it time."

He could've sworn he heard the Selkie mutter something along the lines "stupid blasted humans." Then, in a louder voice: "fine, if I'm to be trapped here, might I have my saviors name?"

"Oh yes, sorry it slipped my mind. Henry Jekyll at your service."

Robert quickly got bored of Henry and made it clear that he wanted to be left alone.

Despite that he didn't seem very keen on not bugging HENRY.

"What is that?" He asked with a tone of condensing but it was clear he was trying to disguise his genuine curiosity and interest.

"It's called a book. It stores stories or knowledge so people can read it later."

Robert held out a hand clearly expecting to be given the book. Once he had it he curiously examined it, pressing an ear against it to try and capture the knowledge Jekyll was talking about, then doubtfully feeling and smelling the paper, and squinting at the words. He finally looked back at Henry with a suspicious and angered face.

"There is clearly no knowelege in here! And it isn't made of any reeds I've seen!"

Henry let out a laugh and sat himself beside him.

"No no no, it's not made OF reeds, you read it. It's translating symbols into words. See those black things on the page? They're words, you READ them and they give you knowledge. Now do you understand?"

"I understand it's gibberish nonsense. You aren't fooling me with you're weird land seaweed. What's it really for?"

Henry rolled his eyes. "It's really for storing stories and information. Would you believe me if I read it to you?"

"Doubtful." despite his words anyone could tell he was intrigued, so Jekyll started to read treasure island.

It was... Interesting to say the least. Lanyon didn't exactly understand all the concepts in it.

"So a pirate is a person who steals."

"Exactly."

"So just a normal human then."

He brushed off the comment. The conversations seemed to prove that Lanyon had some Anti human prejudices and he couldn't address every one.

"They steal and it's very well organized and planned out. They take from other humans, usually gold, and have specific rules."

"What's gold?"

"Uuuuu- it's this... Yellowish metal that's worth a lot, but it's not commonly used anymore. You use it to exchange for things like... Food or safety-"

"Or useless human trinkets"

"I suppose so. Here one moment I might have some."

Jekyll dug through some of his 'useless trinkets' for an old coin he got at a renascence fair.

"There you go."

"... I thought these were just really weird useless rocks."

Much of the conversations turned out that way. It was rather endearing Henry had to admit but he was really frustrated by how difficult it was to make the information flow go the other way. It made sense that someone who only had knowledge of what their own life was like couldn't explain what the ocean was like in comparison to land since he didn't understand land but still.

Robert finds himself staying willingly for the next month.

Henry finds himself wanting him to stay longer. So he does what it takes and hides his skin from him.

He tries to justify it to himself, but it doesn't work.

Robert started to waste away despite being so near to the sea and being able to visit.

(Or maybe because he's so near but Henry can't stand the idea moving away from the ocean, he loves it to much, and isn't it hypocritical of him to not want to leave the ocean when he's kept Lanyon from it?)

Robert tries his best to stay strong, to stay aloof and indifferent, to hurt Henry with petty words and actions but it doesn't last.

After two more months than planned of being beached, he gives up hope that Henry will release him willingly and tears the house apart looking for his skin.

Henry was not happy when he came home.

"What have you done?! Why would you ruin the house!?"

"I'm sorry is it inconvient? If I'm causing so much trouble maybe you could just let me leave and not have to deal with it."

Jekyll let out a long suffering sigh. "Robert we've talked about this, it really is for your own good."

"For my own good? FOR MY OWN GOOD?!" He was screeching at this point. "I TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU AND YOU TRAPPED ME! WHY DO YOU HATE ME!?"

"I- I don't-"

"I JUST WANT TO GO HOME! CAN'T YOU UNDERSTAND YOURE KILLING ME?! IT HURTS SO BAD AND I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! WHY WONT YOU LET ME GO HOME WHY ARE YOU HURTING ME? I HATE HUMANS AND I HATE YOU YOU'RE ALL SELFISH! CURSE YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN, AND MAY YOU ALL GET BEACHED WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF WATER THE WAY YOU'VE DONE TO ME! I HOPE YOU NEVER STOP SUFFERING! I WISH YOUD JUST BURN MY DAMN SKIN SO I COULD STOP HOPING AND JUST DIE ALREADY! I HATE YOU! I REGRET EVER MEETING YOU MORE THAN ANYTHING IVE EVER DONE!"

He fell to the ground sobbing and got quiet, his energy gone. "I hate you. What did i do to deserve this why won't you let me go home? I just want to go home."

Henry was frozen on the spot. This was not at all expected. Tears began to form in his eyes and he got himself together enough to move and take the coat out from under the floor boards. He silently held it out for Lanyon to take.

"I'm sorry."

Lanyon took the coat with shaking hands and went to walk out the door.

"You know I was curious about humans before. But now I think I've learned all I need."

With that he left, and Henry Jekyll began to sob.

There was a man sitting in Henry's living room, a man he thought he'd never see again who held the skin wrapped around him like his life depended on it, like he was scared he'd loose it any second.

"You came back."

"Don't look into it to much."

"I thought you hated me."

"I did. You tortured me for months on end."

"Then- why are you here?"

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Of course not I just- I don't understand."

"I don't understand it either."

He refused to say anything else on the matter and Jekyll decided to leave it at that.

Henry felt miserable. Despite what he would have hoped, Robert being back didn't lead to the ache in his heart easing. If anything it was worse because he was RIGHT THERE but refused to trust him, and Henry couldn't even be mad at him for it.

He couldn't stand being in that house, so he started sleeping outside. The cold from the sea winds was better then the cold from Lanyon.

As he was shivering he felt something being draped over his shoulders. He looked up to see Lanyons coat.

"Isn't this important to you?"

"Yes but other things are important to."

Henry let a little smile cross his face and held up part of the coat so they could sit together.

They stayed huddled under it until the sun rose.


End file.
